Chapter 19: The Beginning of Transformation

Fu Yancheng stood beneath the cherry blossom tree in the garden, petals drifting down like snow, yet his heart remained utterly unmoved. An involuntary sigh escaped his lips.

“Hey, President Fu, looks like something’s on your mind. Want to talk about it?” Shen Mengqing appeared beside him without warning.

Fu Yancheng blinked slightly, turning to face her with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and asked calmly, “Has Grandpa gone to sleep?”

He seemed indifferent to her question, yet the deep furrow in his brow and the weight in his voice betrayed the turmoil and unease simmering within him.

“Yes, Grandpa’s asleep. He was in good spirits today and told me a lot about your childhood. So President Fu, you went through so much when you were young,” Shen Mengqing said, clearly trying to bridge the gap between them. But Fu Yancheng remained silent, making the atmosphere awkward.

“Any news about Xia Xia? I really envy her—growing up surrounded by your love and care,” Shen Mengqing probed again, attempting once more to draw him out.

“No news yet. We’ll find her sooner or later,” Fu Yancheng replied curtly. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Shen Mengqing was truly inscrutable—meticulous and cautious to a fault, so much so that Fu Yancheng found himself suspicious. This woman was far from ordinary. Xia Xia was too innocent, and Jiang Zeyu was right. For the first time, Fu Yancheng found himself agreeing with Jiang Zeyu’s judgment.

“Miss Shen, step on the brake! Turn the wheel left, left, hurry up...” A loud crash shattered the moment. “Miss, I told you to turn left! Why didn’t you listen? You’ve hit a tree again! That’s the seventh car. No wonder no instructor wants to teach you,” muttered the driver, Xiao Hu, exasperated.

“Oh, I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to. When I get nervous, I just don’t know what to do with my hands and feet. But don’t worry—I’ll definitely learn to drive today. I’m a top student. I’ve never failed to learn anything since I was little. Trust me, I was in the gifted youth program in university. There’s no way I can’t pass the driving test,” Shen Mengxia insisted confidently.

Xiao Hu sighed helplessly. “Miss Shen, driving isn’t like studying. It’s not just about being smart; you need a feel for the car.” But Shen Mengxia pouted stubbornly. “Hmph, I don’t believe I can’t learn.”

Watching her determined little figure, Xiao Hu silently pulled out his phone and called Fu Yancheng, requesting more cars.

On the other end, for the first time, Xiao Hu heard his boss laugh heartily. “Alright, alright, give her all the cars she needs. Tell her to learn boldly. Ha ha ha!”

Thus, Shen Mengxia’s days became packed. Days were spent practicing driving, boxing, and taekwondo; nights, she studied psychology, financial management, and first aid. All subjects were taught one-on-one. Fu Yancheng even hired a renowned screenwriter to write murder mystery scripts, along with acting coaches and microexpression experts, all to help her verify and apply what she learned.

A prodigy was truly different. As Jiang Zeyu said, she was advancing by leaps and bounds.

However, Jiang Zeyu noticed that while this prodigy learned new things much faster than others, her mental maturity grew slowly, lacking real-world experience.

So Fu Yancheng unleashed his financial power, having the screenwriter embed real events from Haijing City into the scripts, with instructors guiding her step-by-step on how to respond and what mindset to maintain in such situations.

Meanwhile, in Haijing City, Qiao Wanwan frequently brought nutritional supplements to the Fu household under the pretense of visiting Grandpa, but in truth, she was pushing for a marriage arrangement.

“Grandpa, if Xia Xia doesn’t come back soon, and Huai Ting still won’t agree to our engagement, I’ll become a laughingstock in the capital’s social circle,” Qiao Wanwan coaxed, pouting as she clung to the old man.

“My dear child, Grandpa knows you’re upset, but rest assured, Xia Xia has only gone for secluded study. She’ll come back once it’s over,” Fu’s grandfather consoled.

“Grandpa, you don’t know the truth. Shen Mengxia didn’t go for secluded study—she’s missing,” Qiao Wanwan blurted out, only to receive a sharp slap that made stars flash before her eyes.

Before she could react, Fu Yancheng dragged her outside forcefully. “I warn you not to bother Grandpa. The entire Fu family is trying to shield him for his health’s sake. What do you want? If you do this again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed straight to Grandpa’s room to comfort him.